Subway TV media system

ABSTRACT

A television system for subway cars ( 10 ) includes a plurality of TV monitors ( 22 ) mounted at intervals along the cars ( 10 ), at the junction of the sidewall and the ceiling, and a central video signal source unit ( 23 ) such as a video tape player, video disk player, computer-based digital video recorder or television receiver, connected to the video monitors ( 22 ). Programs of short duration, e.g. 5-15 minutes, matching the average length of a subway ride, and comprising advertising messages, news bytes and the like are played and displayed in the monitors repeatedly during the subway ride.

This application claims benefit of provisional application Serial No.60/045,811, filed May 7, 1997.

This invention relates to video display systems, and more specificallyto video display systems mounted in and operating in mass transit subwaycars.

It is commonplace to provide visual advertising displays such as postersin mass transit subway cars, where the displays are available forreading by subway passengers during travel. It is also known to equipsubway cars with closed circuit television cameras, for surveillance ofpassenger behaviour and other safety checks. Images of such surveillanceare either displayed at a central security facility, or recorded forsubsequent viewing in the event of safety problems.

It is also commonplace to equip subway cars with audio public addresssystems for a myriad of uses, including transit service announcements,community service events, advertising, safety and emergency procedures,as well as inter-staff communications.

Proposals have been made previously to equip other transportation items,especially aircraft, with television or video systems, primarily for theentertainment of passengers on long journeys. Examples of such systemsin the patent literature can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,980Steventon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,821 Greenwald, U.S. Pat. No.4,352,124 Kline, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,728 Gradin et al., and U.S. Pat.No. 3,457,006 Brown et al.

Entertainment of passengers on subway cars has until now generally beenignored, since the average journey taken by a passenger on a masstransit subway system is usually short, lasting perhaps fifteen minutes.Nevertheless, subway transit riders offer an attractive audience forvisual advertising messages, as evidenced by the proliferation ofadvertising signs which commonly adorn a subway car. In addition, masstransit systems such as subways are in need of extra sources of revenue,to keep passenger fare structures at an affordable level as operatingcosts rise, and to avoid decreased ridership as a result.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a public servicemessage display system, entertainment system and advertising system formass transit subway cars.

It is a further object to provide a novel source of extra revenue for amass transit subway system.

The present invention provides a television public service messagedisplay, entertainment and advertising system for subway cars, in whichtelevision monitors are provided at spaced intervals in subway cars, todisplay short duration televisual entertainment and advertising featuresto subway riders. The system is designed so that advertising spots on itcan be sold by the transit system to potential advertisers and sponsors,for extra revenues for the transit system. It takes advantage of thefact that subway riders are, for the most part, occupying a subway carunder relatively crowded conditions but for only a relatively briefduration. They are looking for something on which to focus theirattention during their brief ride, whilst at the same time often findingit inconvenient to open newspapers, magazines or the like under crowdedcircumstances and becoming bored by static advertising or other displaysaround them. The present invention provides properly positionedtelevision monitors displaying moving images of news items, advertisingmaterial and the like, viewable by substantially all riders in the car,and filling their need for visual entertainment during the briefduration of their subway ride.

Thus, according to the present invention, from one aspect, there isprovided a video system for displaying televised material to passengersin a mass transit subway car, and comprising at least one video displaymonitor adapted for mounting inside a subway car so as to displaytelevised materials to passengers riding therein, and a video signalsource unit operatively connected to said at least one monitor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda subway car for mass transportation and comprising a video displaysystem including at least one video display monitor having a videoscreen, the monitor being mounted in the subway car in a manner suchthat the video screen thereof is readily visible to passengers in thesubway car, and a video signal source unit operatively connected to saidat least one monitor.

The term “video signal source unit” as used herein embraces player unitsfor playing pre-recorded video material, such as computer-based digitalvideo recorders (including CD-ROM players), video tape players and videodisk players, and television receivers for receiving live orpre-recorded broadcast television signals from a remote transmitter andsupplying these to the video display monitors mounted in the subwaycars. One system according to the invention utilizes receivers includingcomputer-based digital video recorders for receiving broadcasttelevision signals from a remote transmitter as the video signal sourceunit. Such video signal source unit can be located either within themass transits' premises or on a remote broadcasting site. Alternatively,the invention utilizes a video tape player, a video disk player, or acomputer-based digital video recorder, as the video signal source unit.The video signal source unit may be located in the same subway car asthat in which the monitor or monitors are located, or in adjacent orremote cars of the same train, with the necessary operative connectionbetween the player and the monitor(s). An individual subway car can beequipped with its own video signal source unit, connected to a pluralityof monitors mounted at different, appropriately chosen locations alongthe length of the subway car. Alternatively, one central video signalsource unit can be located in one car of subway train, and connected tomonitors in some or all of the cars of the train, to provide a centralvideo signal source unit for the train.

Computer (PC) based digital video recorders basically transmit videosignals from a hard drive or CD-ROM storage. They are however alsocapable of receiving transmitted input at intervals, e.g. news itemupdates, at, say, hourly intervals, to add to their stored transmittablevideo data. In this sense they also act as television receivers.

The video signal source unit and video display monitors used in thepresent invention can be of known, standard form, obtainable as off theshelf items from manufacturers and sales outlets. The connectionsbetween them, for display of televised material, are also standard andwell within the skill of the art. For example, use can be made of theexisting subway infrastructure by which audio announcements arecurrently transmitted. Alternatively, the connections may be by use ofcoaxial cables, fibre optics, cell phone systems or satellitetransmission, or by other appropriate means.

A preferred system according to the invention is a subway car orplurality of subway cars equipped with a plurality of televisionmonitors, especially LCD-based television monitors, and a video signalsource comprising a video tape player, video disk player orcomputer-based digital video recorder, the video signal source and themonitors being interconnected by suitable electrical cable systems whichare self-contained within the subway car. In this way, new subway carscan be built with the video system or parts thereof installed, andusable on substantially any transit system, since the operation of thevideo system is independent of any previously installed track, tunnel orcontrol systems.

The video system according to the present invention provides a means forcommunicating a very wide range of information to viewers in anenvironment ideally suited to communicating short video messages toviewers, especially commercial messages or sponsored community service,or informational news bytes. Most subway rides are of short duration,e.g. 15-30 minutes or less. It is normally undesirable to playtelevision programs of any significant length to subway passengers forfear of distracting them from their proper points of interchange anddisembarkation on the subway system. However, the system according tothe invention is ideally suited for displaying a series of short, 30second-1 minute messages, in sequence, such as a series of commercialmessages. These can range from straightforward advertising as seen oncommercial television, or the type of news feed with corporatesponsorship as seen by cable television viewers, with news servicesprovided by specialized companies in this business. If the informationis delivered by video tape player, video disk player or computer-baseddigital video recorder, it can be repeated at intervals of, say, 5-15minutes, based upon the average duration of individual subway rides,i.e. the pre-recorded program is of total duration of about 5-15minutes. If the feed is delivered from an outside source, its deliverydepends on the package of the server, and according to agreement betweenthe purchaser and the mass transit management, and other interestedparties as necessary.

Typically, the television images displayed by the monitors of the systemaccording to the invention do not incorporate sound, though they maycontain rolling script, similar to cable television news channels, orsimilar to closed-captioning for the hearing impaired. This avoids riskof interference with announcements being played to passengers throughthe normal audio address system carried by the subway train, and avoidsadding to the general noise level experienced by passengers on thesubway cars, a noise level which is commonly quite high even undernormal running conditions. However, sound may be incorporated whereappropriate, for example in safety or emergency situations, or to markthe beginning of a message to which the subway or transmission providerwishes to call attention.

The manner in which the video display monitors are disposed and mountedin the subway car depends to some extent on the design of the subway caritself. Such designs can vary between different subway systems. Normallyfrom 6-12 such colour monitors are provided in each subway car, suitablyof 12″-13″ size, spaced along the length of the car, and disposed abovethe windows of the car, in a manner and at a location which does notinterfere with the operation of any other essential element of the car(door operation, lights, heating, air conditioning etc.). A subway caris normally constructed so that it has a cavity wall, defined betweenits outer structural shell and its inner lining wall, the cavityproviding for wiring and cables and other mechanical functions, and, atplaces, containing insulation. The video display monitors in the systemof the invention are suitably mounted in the cavity wall.

In a preferred arrangement, the video display monitors have a strongmetal frame construction, fixed to the frame of the subway car. Thescreens are preferably covered with a rigid transparent unit, e.g. ofpolycarbonate, shaped to coincide with the shape of the internal wall ofthe subway car at the location of mounting. For example, when themonitor is mounted at the junction of the wall and ceiling of the subwaycar, where there is commonly provided a concavely curved segment ofinternal wall, the transparent cover unit is suitably similarlyconcavely curved, so that it can be mounted as a continuum with theinternal walls and blended to contours thereof, with the monitor mountedbehind it. The screen is suitably angled downwardly, for best viewing bypassengers seated opposite the screen. The entire structure of themonitor, including the cover unit if used, is suitably housed in astainless steel or strong plastic casement, designed to appear integralwith the subway car, without visible edges or protuberances, andmatching the materials and colours of the subway car interior.

The video monitors used in the system of the present invention can be ofstandard, cathode ray tube-based design. Such monitors have theadvantage of economy, being mass-produced items manufactured on a verylarge scale. They are eminently suitable for use in most embodimentsaccording to the invention, and can be viewed clearly from a variety ofangles. However, in circumstances where the subway car in operationencounters locations of large magnetic field, it is possible that thepicture displayed on a CRT monitor will be distorted as the monitormoves through such location. Any such distortion effect can be reducedby surrounding the monitor, to an extent practical and consistent withits provision of full visual display, with an appropriate shield such asa steel or other ferromagnetic casement. Where such a magnetic fieldproblem turns out to be particularly acute, the CRT-type monitor may bereplaced by a monitor incorporating a colour liquid crystal display(LCD) screen, which is not sensitive to intermittent encountering ofexternal magnetic fields.

Specific preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustratedin the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows in plan view (FIG. 1A) and in side elevation (FIG. 1B), anexisting subway car as used on the Toronto Transit System withindications of appropriate locations for mounting video monitorsaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a subway car according to the inventionwith video monitors in place;

FIG. 3 is a detail, in section, of an existing subway car illustratingthe location for receiving a video monitor according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a detail similar to FIG. 3, with the video monitor in place;

FIG. 4A is a view, similar to FIG. 4, of an alternative embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a detail in perspective view, of a subway car equipped with amonitor according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a detail similar to FIG. 5 but of a further alternativeembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, showing the general appearance whenthe monitor is operating.

A typical subway car 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, is equippedwith sliding doors 12 and windows 14, spaced at convenient intervalsalong the length of the car. Passenger seats, in sets of 2's and 3's,are disposed beneath and alongside the windows 14, clear of the doors12, some sets 16 being inward facing, other sets 18 being forward facingand other sets 20 being rearward facing.

Suitable locations for video monitors 22 in accordance with theinvention are at the junction of wall and ceiling of subway car 10,above the windows 14 and clear of the doors 12. They are thus disposedopposite to sets of inward facing seats 16, and angled downwardly forease of viewing of passengers 24 seated in such inward facing seats 16,as shown in FIG. 2, with direct sight lines. 26, but visible topassengers seated elsewhere, and standing in the car 10. A video player23 is suitably located in the driver's cab 27 (FIG. 1A), and connectedto all the monitors 22 by cables (not showing) disposed in the cavitywalls of the car.

FIG. 3 shows a detail of the car 10, at the location where a monitor 22is to be installed. The car wall has an outer shell 28 in which windows14 are sealingly mounted, and structural pillars 30 mounted at intervalsand secured to the vertical structural member 32. Centrally secured tothe exterior skin and body structure of body 34 of the car is a main airduct 36 and a housing 38 carrying ceiling lights running substantiallythe full length of the car 10. The space between the ceiling housing 38and the top of the pillars 30 is normally occupied by back litadvertising panels 40. Removal of appropriate portions of these panels40 provides space for location of video monitors 22, according to thepreferred embodiment of the invention.

Thus as shown in FIG. 4, the video monitor 22 is enclosed and rigidlymounted in its own enclosure 42, of stainless steel, rigid plastic orthe like. The enclosure in turn is secured to the top of structuralpillar 30 and the side of housing 38, in a space between the ends ofilluminated panels 40, and protruding rearwardly to a position adjacentthe outer part of the exterior skin and body structure 34. The frontwall of enclosure 42 is comprised of a clear transparent polycarbonateshield 44, through which the screen 46 the monitor 22 is clearlyvisible. The screen 46 is angled downwardly for best viewing by apassenger 24 seated opposite. The enclosure 42 with monitor 22 thereinand connections protruding outwardly therethrough is removable as aunit, for replacement or service.

An alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 4A, a view similar tothat of FIG. 4. In this alternative embodiment, CRT video monitor 22 isreplaced with an LCD-based video monitor 22A which is of thin,rectangular cross-section, and occupies less space in the ceilingstructure of the car. Accordingly, it can be moved towards the ceilingso that its viewing screen is substantially flush with or even behindthe light panel 40. This use of an LCD-based monitor gives a betteraesthetic appearance to the inside of the subway car as a whole, as wellas improving the display performance by minimizing the interferenceeffects, as previously discussed. An appropriately shaped enclosure 42Afor the LCD-based monitor, with transport screen 44A, replaces enclosure42 for the CRT video monitor, and is similarly mounted in place.

FIG. 5 shows a front, perspective view of the arrangement shown insection in FIG. 4. The monitor 22 and its covering shield 44 arerecessed behind the upper portion of the adjacent advertising panels 40,and the sides of the enclosure 42 protrude inwardly from the lowerportion of panels 40. This provides ease of access to the enclosure 42for its removal when necessary.

An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 6. Here the polycarbonateshield 44 is convexly curved, and is disposed further forward from themonitor screen 44. The shield 44 now blends with forward facing part 48the exterior skin and body structure 34, to provide a perhaps moreaesthetically appealing arrangement. In FIG. 7, there isdiagrammatically illustrated the arrangement of FIG. 6 in practicaloperation Poster-type illuminated advertisements are provided byadvertising panels 40 flanking the video monitors 22, whilst the videomonitor 22, disposed at intervals along the length of the car 10, showvideo information and/or advertising spots, at convenient, easily viewedlocations and disposition to passengers riding in the car 10.

It will be appreciated that the specific embodiments illustrated anddescribed herein are by way of example only, and are not to be construedas limiting on the scope of the invention. The description pertainsspecifically to the type of subway car currently in use in the TorontoTransit System, and illustrates a means and location for mounting thevideo monitors in such a system. Details of construction, and hencedetails of appropriate mounting for video monitors may differ fromsubway system to subway system according to the form of car in use. Suchmounting details do not depart from the scope of the present invention.In all cases, it is contemplated that a plurality of monitors will beprovided in each car, each rigidly mounted at a convenient locationclear of the doors and windows, and at a disposition where it can beviewed by passengers riding the subway car, without difficulty. Theprovision of such video monitors mounted in their own enclosures asdescribed herein, and faced with a transparent screen of, for example,polycarbonate, allows for considerable variation in the detail ofmounting means and locations, to adapt them to different constructionsof subway cars currently in use on different mass transit systems.

What is claimed is:
 1. A subway car for mass transportation includinglongitudinal opposed sidewalls, a ceiling adjoining the sidewalls, avideo display system comprising a plurality of video display monitorseach having a video screen, and a video signal source unit operativelyconnected to said monitors, said monitors being spaced along the lengthof the car on opposed sides thereof, each of said monitor being mountedat the junction of the sidewall and ceiling, with the screen of themonitor substantially flushed with the adjacent wall surface structureof the car, and directed obliquely downwardly toward the car seats, sothat each video screen is readily visible to passengers in the subwaycar.
 2. The subway car of claim 1 wherein the video signal source systemincludes a pre-recorded video transmission program for feeding todisplay on the monitors of duration about 5-15 minutes.
 3. The subwaycar of claim 1 wherein the program is repeatable, and includes a seriesof commercial messages of 30 second-1 minute duration.
 4. The videosystem subway car of claim 1 which is sound free.
 5. The subway car ofclaim 1 wherein the video signal source unit comprises a video tapeplayer, a video disk player or computer-based digital video recorder. 6.The subway car of claim 1 wherein the video monitors include LCDscreens.
 7. The subway car of any of claim 1 including a self-containedwiring-cabling system connecting the video monitors to the video signalsource unit.